Would you buy an EVO viii ?

I am getting tempted to buy an EVO, either an viii or wait a few months and buy a ix at the end of the year, but will I be impressed ?

I currently drive a Jag XKR with a couple of mods and alot of money spent making it perfect. She puts out about 400Hp and pulls 0-60 in approx 5 seconds, but she's also good for 160+ and pulls really hard from 90-140.

My worry is whether the EVO will impress me enough and be quicker in all areas than the Jag ?

I would be looking at something like an 04 EVO viii fq-330 or a modified standard 260 thats had the money spent on it. Basically I am looking for 350-380hp so I dont have to blow a fortune on forged engine parts etc. but dont mind remaps, exhausts etc

The driving force behind the thoughts are baby number 2 is on the way so I need proper back seats.Also it will only be a weekend car, so not too concerned about loss of the Jaguar comforts.My car history has included TVR, Type-R Accord, Westfields etc, so i like a variety !

An evo 9 fq360 is a mega rapid car. Something in the power region you are talking about will be very fast. It wont be anywhere near as comfortable as the jag or as good a cruiser, but it will be more entertaining on a crosscountry blast.

An evo 9 fq360 is a mega rapid car. Something in the power region you are talking about will be very fast. It wont be anywhere near as comfortable as the jag or as good a cruiser, but it will be more entertaining on a crosscountry blast.

point to point you're in the top 5% of fastest roadgoing cars. theyre brutal on maintenance costs and fuel, both economy and tank range and the interiors are a little tiring.

also, you cant leave it anywhere and people will constantly be egging you on in other cars.

Problem is there are none for sale near me. I live in Devon and the nearest cars are Bristol !

I dont mind travelling nationwide for the right car, but just for a test drive, i wouldnt have the time to take the Jag up there and talk p/x....working too many hours

hence i thought i'd canvass some opinions

Well I've had me Evo for six years and use it in good weather and bad. The later Evos have enough refinement to make them tolerable as everyday cars.

As to performance, they're not slow but power delivery will be completely different to your Jag. Whether you like it is down to your driving style. You might like the crazy on-boost performance or you might prefer the steam-train like drive of the Jag. I can't imagine the Evo would be faster in a straight line and you'd have to work for that performance more. The difference will be the handling and traction.

As I say, you'd need to try one as one person might love them and the next might hate them.

If there isn't anything near you to test drive then get yourself into an Impreza Sti, either one with PPP or one that has had a few after market mods such as exhaust and re-map. I have driven a modified Sti and the Evo 8 FQ MR 360 and the Evo generally is a quicker car, just, but it will give you the closest feel to that of the Evo i.e. hard ride, outstanding grip, short turbo lag followed by a serious kick in the ribs!!

The closest car I have driven to your Jag would be the 400hp VXR8 but compared to the Evo or Impreza the only simularity is the horse power. I can see the attraction of a luxury beast but the raw ability and attraction of the Turbo jap cars cannot be understated!!

They do make a good compromise family car, i.e. child seats in the back for the nursery run, but still very very fast down a b road on a Sunday morning. I swapped my Westfield for a VIIRS.

The only thing I would say is that the standard suspension is best left alone for b road use. I'd avoid cars that have been lowered using lowering springs. Mine came lowered and it was dreadful. I took it back to standard and the ride was much much better. I then changed to set of EXE-TC dampers which are superb bits of kit. I'd also avoid cars fitted with cheap coil-overs as the ride tends to be harsh. If you do want modded suspension go for a car fitted with good quality dampers like EXE-TC, Ohlins or Nitron as the Evo is all about point to point handling IMO.

I would also question the need for 400bhp. Mine runs approx 330-350 and with the RS (Grp-N) box it is more than quick enough up to 100mph. Evo tested one at 0-60 in 4.4 secs. Personally I think they start to become a little too laggy above 350 unless you have full exhaust / turbo elbow / ball bearing turbo etc. I like to able to play with the throttle mid bend to adjust the yaw of the car and the Evo really isn't that sort of car. It's more a turn in, plant the throttle, and correct via steering input type of car. With higher power comes more lag.

If it was me, I'd go for a car that has around ~ 350bhp with a ball bearing turbo, a quiet free flowing exhaust, and good quality dampers, uprated rotors and pads - the standard brembos are more than adequate for road and light track use, and possibly some lightweight 17" alloys. I'd avoid 18s as although cosmetically they look nice, they tend to be much heavier unless they're 2k+ forged alloys.

I was wondering about the VIII and ended up with a IX FQ-300. With simple mods, Exhaust (unless you get a FQ-320/340/360), fuel pump, two port solenoid and remap, your looking at the 400bhp mark. The IX has a larger turbo (coldside) than the VIII and has the Mivec cylinderhead.

I agree with the below, servicing is every 6 months (usually £250/£300 if AYC need changing, although my last one was £180) get one that's been well looked after with a good service history from a decent garage. I dont get many people egging me on, usually BMW 3 series drivers but not that often. I had a Focus RS Mk1 previously and that got more attention from people wanting to see what it can do than the Evo does...

VinceFox said:

rb5er said:

An evo 9 fq360 is a mega rapid car. Something in the power region you are talking about will be very fast. It wont be anywhere near as comfortable as the jag or as good a cruiser, but it will be more entertaining on a crosscountry blast.

point to point you're in the top 5% of fastest roadgoing cars. theyre brutal on maintenance costs and fuel, both economy and tank range and the interiors are a little tiring.

also, you cant leave it anywhere and people will constantly be egging you on in other cars.

Great feedback guys - at the moment i reckon 350hp would be enough for me in an EVO.

Alot of the driving I do in anger is with a group of PH'ers and around Devon and Cornwall, regularly on Dartmoor. This is where the Evo would leave the Jag for dust.The Jag is a powerhouse on an "A"road but winding around the lanes, I lose the rear end a fair bit due to the weight & Jaguar springs & shocks.

So I would appreciate something that handles like a lotus but carries kiddies to nursery !

I looked online at an Viii FQ330 which was pretty rare, the models only 4 months in production before the 340 arrived, better black ralli-art seats. But the piggyback chip system means to go upto 350hp i'd have to strip the chip out & start again - but would I need more than 330hp ??Also watched a car online that started as a Viii 260 EU car, then had £5k of extras, new turbo, mapping etc etc restrained at 350hp.

So which is better, a stock FQ330 or a 260 with mods - two ways to the same result, I guess its down to opinion.

Great feedback guys - at the moment i reckon 350hp would be enough for me in an EVO.

Alot of the driving I do in anger is with a group of PH'ers and around Devon and Cornwall, regularly on Dartmoor. This is where the Evo would leave the Jag for dust.The Jag is a powerhouse on an "A"road but winding around the lanes, I lose the rear end a fair bit due to the weight & Jaguar springs & shocks.

So I would appreciate something that handles like a lotus but carries kiddies to nursery !

I looked online at an Viii FQ330 which was pretty rare, the models only 4 months in production before the 340 arrived, better black ralli-art seats. But the piggyback chip system means to go upto 350hp i'd have to strip the chip out & start again - but would I need more than 330hp ??Also watched a car online that started as a Viii 260 EU car, then had £5k of extras, new turbo, mapping etc etc restrained at 350hp.

So which is better, a stock FQ330 or a 260 with mods - two ways to the same result, I guess its down to opinion.

Those roads will be an ideal playground for the Evo! the 4wd and weight advantage compared to the Jag you'll certainly feel the difference. The Jag is a nice car but as you say it depends on the roads you take it on, there isn't much that will keep pace with an Evo if driven properly.

Personally I would buy a FQ330 rather than a modded 260, IMO can never be to sure what mods have been carried out and how well or not they have been fitted and although a FQ330 may cost a bit more now they will hold their price better. But then that's just IMO. Also you may find that the interior on the FQ model is better than the 260, the IX FQ340 interior is nicer than the IX FQ300 for example. Compared to the Jag the 260 interior may be rather basic and while other Evo's wont be luxurious the environment helps.

You could also consider a VIII MR which has uprated shocks, cams and interior and other bits.

My mates got a XKR and I know my Evo would murder it , pretty much everywhere , the Jag does pull well when into triple digits but the Evo would be long gone by then , its a great car the Jag , I love it but its a heavy old beast

If you have the budget and are able to find a good one then my money would also go on the 330 rather than a modifed 260. The main reason for me would be the fact that it was set up at the factory that way and there is more scope to increase power in the future if you felt the need. They are all great cars though!!

My mates got a XKR and I know my Evo would murder it , pretty much everywhere , the Jag does pull well when into triple digits but the Evo would be long gone by then , its a great car the Jag , I love it but its a heavy old beast

Your mate needs to upgrade his pulley so that he gets the power from 1800rpm rather than waiting to 3000rpm.But yes, she is a heavy old beast, thats my main issue, along with needing 2 proper back seats.

Comments are starting to confirm my thought process. Just a case of when !

Your mate needs to upgrade his pulley so that he gets the power from 1800rpm rather than waiting to 3000rpm.But yes, she is a heavy old beast, thats my main issue, along with needing 2 proper back seats.

Comments are starting to confirm my thought process. Just a case of when !

Yeah his is stock mind you when I had my Skyline running about 330hp that was considerably faster as well and the Skyline isnt a patch on the Evo

The Evo does suffer at higher speeds though , feels a bit flat above 100mph and they arent geared for massive speed but thats not what they are about

Get yourself on the MLR and ask someone to take you out in one , must be some people in the SW

Whats the rust situation with older MY2000 evo vi and earlier ?my MY2000 Jag has had to go to the bodyshop to make it perfect as rust started nibbling inside the wheel arch edges. Wanted to avoid that with a 2004-2006 car instead. But the Tommi Mak could still be an option, just put off by the age, and that dashboard

They can be prone to some rust issuse so you'd have to make sure any potential purchase was checked thoroughly but it was slightly tongue in cheek although I do think the Evo peaked with the 6 and a Tommi Mak in nick won't loose you any money and may even go up in value.